Flea has spoken about the new Netflix documentary about former Red Hot Chili Peppers member Hillel Slovak, giving his approval of the movie after the band distanced themselves from it creatively.
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel debuted on the streaming service on March 20. It explores the early years of the band, as well as chart the impact of their original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988 of an accidental heroin overdose.
In January, the band members took to Instagram to clarify their involvement, saying that while they gave interviews for the project, it was not an “official” band documentary. “We agreed to be interviewed out of love and respect for Hillel and his memory,” the band wrote. “However, this documentary is now being advertised as a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary, which it is not.”
Recently, however, Flea posted on his Instagram stories (via Consequence) confirming he had watched the film and gave a positive verdict. “I finally watched the new documentary about Hillel Slovak,” he wrote. “I’m so grateful it exists, and that more people will know how much he meant and continues to mean to us as a friend and bandmate. It is a beautifully made film and filled my heart right to the top, not without a good dose of lifelong melancholy. Hillel forever.”
Upon its release, the documentary made headlines for the its use of Slovak’s own voice, as regenerated by AI, to bring to life the guitarist’s journals. The film makes clear early on that it has used the technology for these segments.
The band spoke about their former member’s legacy in a cover interview with NME. “The energy of Hillel Slovak has never truly faded,” frontman Anthony Kiedis explained, before reflecting on his loss.
“I wish Hillel hadn’t missed out on that first recording [self-titled debut ‘The Red Hot Chili Peppers’] in the first year,” he said. “We did some TV shows in 1984 and I look at them now and think: ‘Damn, I wish Hillel would have been there for that. He was a creator of the band. That was his baby.’ Anyway, it was meant to be the way it was meant to be and it all fleshed out the way life goes… But Hillel’s still there in our hearts, whether it’s 30, 40, 50, 60 or even 100.”
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